the past The Present the future
The present can be seen as a fleeting moment between the past and future. If that’s how we view it then it’s likely we don’t have time for it. To improve the quality of our present we must devote some attention to it. If we’re not careful very little time is spent actually in the present moment, therefore, we experience very little that is actually presently the case. We end up either wallowing in regret and nostalgia for the past, or anticipating, desiring, fearing and dreading the future.
The past can seem like some kind of force that’s propelling us into the future. The future can seem like some kind of destiny that awaits us. When we live more in the present those forces diminish. We can be what we are, freer of our past and future. When we live more in the present then the past and future are not so connected and this liberates us from the forces of predictability. Living in the present is an art, that when mastered, simplifies life and allows for more enjoyment of life. It’s the past and future, that when allowed, complicate and diminish the enjoyment of the present. When we’re present everything just is what it is. A child’s experience and view of life is less complicated than an adult’s because it has less past to dwell on and less anticipation and fear of the future. Unfortunately we all too easily lose our childhood innocence and become blinded by the past/future view of life.
Here are some suggestions for developing the art of living in the present:-
· By being more aware of what we presently feel and perceive and what’s presently going on, we can cultivate a greater emotional commitment to the present. This emotional commitment prevents us from being bored with the present and so we’re less likely to dwell on the past or future.
· If we observe ourselves we’ll find that fear and desire take us away from the present moment. So when we notice ourselves being “taken away” by fear and desire, we can gently bring ourselves back to what is presently the case.
· We can easily define ourselves by our past - our qualifications, our achievements, etc., but in doing so we limit ourselves. We can realise something far more profound about ourselves by allowing ourselves to remain undefined and limitless.
· Both the past and future are best defined by our feelings about them. If we do this, it means that neither past nor future are fixed, because we can always change how we feel about them and how much we feel about them.
· If we appreciate everything we have in our life we can be constantly satisfied in the present. However, if we only appreciate things when they’re new we end up with a “more more more” mentality in an attempt to satisfy us.
· During meditation you may have noticed that the breathing, when left to its own devices, settles into a relaxed pattern and can basically take care of itself. We can interfere with the breathing and make it faster or slower, but in general we’d find it more beneficial to let the breathing take care of itself. The same principle that’s evident in our breathing can be applied to our life in general - if we interfere less with our natural functions then they tend to work better. When our actions and behavior come from an intuitive and loving disposition, it’s likely we’ll have a more relaxed attitude to the outcome.
· Most problems involve the past or future, the present has few problems - just our basic needs - so if we focus on the present many presumed problems will cease to be of concern to us.